Greenwich Council Moves Forward with Controversial Play Centre Changes
Greenwich Council has confirmed it will proceed with plans to eliminate staffed provision at two of its five Adventure Play Centres (APCs), despite significant community opposition and formal political challenges. The decision, which was upheld during a recent Overview & Scrutiny Call-in Sub Committee meeting, means the Woolwich and Glyndon centres will transition from supervised play facilities to unsupervised playgrounds.
Investment Amid Controversy
The council's 'Transforming Youth Play' proposals, approved by the Cabinet in January, include a substantial £2.1 million investment package for the borough's remaining play facilities. This funding allocation represents a complex balancing act between financial constraints and service provision.
Specifically, £600,000 will be directed toward creating a new multi-use games area in Woolwich to replace facilities lost at the Woolwich APC, upgrading outdoor amenities at the Glyndon site, and establishing a brand-new Community Youth Hub at the Meridian APC. Meanwhile, a significant £1.5 million investment will transform the Coldharbour APC into a comprehensive community and youth hub while maintaining its play functions.
Political and Community Opposition
The decision faced formal challenges from Greenwich Conservatives, Independents, and Greens, who collectively questioned both the process and substance of the council's approach. Despite these objections, the committee ultimately voted two to one to uphold the Cabinet's original decision.
Conservative opposition leader Matt Hartley expressed profound disappointment, stating: "Trust in the council has fallen to rock bottom over this. It is a really bad situation and I am astonished they don't seem to realise just how bad their trust issue has become."
Green member Councillor Lakshan Saldin characterized the outcome as "disappointing but expected," criticizing what he described as the council's pattern of conducting public consultations only to disregard community feedback. "Residents expressed overwhelming opposition to the cuts to the Adventure Play Centre offering but the council refused to release the statistics," Saldin asserted.
Community Campaign Continues
The Save Greenwich Adventure Play Centres campaign, formed specifically to oppose the council's plans, has vowed to maintain pressure on local authorities. Campaign member Lara Ruffles Coles emphasized their commitment to holding the council accountable and defending the professional staff who have served local youth for years.
"We will continue to hold the council accountable in the coming weeks, defending the wonderful staff who have given years of professionalism and care to our young people," Coles stated. She further encouraged residents to engage with political candidates as election season approaches, urging them to advocate for maintaining all five staffed adventure play centres.
Council's Rationale and Future Plans
Greenwich Council has maintained that the proposals aim to create "more accessible, inclusive, and sustainable" facilities for the future. Councillor Sandra Bauer, Cabinet Member for Equality, Culture and Communities, highlighted that only 1.4 percent of Greenwich children currently utilize the borough's Adventure Play Centres.
"By using £600,000 in one-off funding, we can invest in new and improved spaces that are inclusive and welcoming to even more children and young people and financially stable for years to come," Bauer explained in January. She added that the council had responded to young people's expressed desires for "safe spaces with trusted adults" and activities shaped by their input.
The council has also revealed that three voluntary sector organizations have expressed interest in potentially taking over operations at the Glyndon APC following the removal of its staffed provision. This represents the only site to have received such offers to date.
As the changes move forward, the debate continues regarding the distinction between staffed, supervised play services and unsupervised playgrounds—a distinction that opposition figures argue has been inadequately addressed in the council's planning process.
